After drinks
by believeinfaeries13
Summary: Kaidan said he'd come for only five minutes, but Shepard knew he'd been lying. He had come for so much more.


Slowly Shepard woke up and rolled over to snuggle against Kaidan's warm side, resting her head on his chest. He said he had come for just five minutes. She snorted softly. Five minutes my butt, she thought to herself. It was hours later, but she was happy that he had come to distract her from everything. He'd come to be with her, just the two of them for one brief moment in time.

Everything was sure to change. But this, this she wanted to stay exactly the same. Lazily, she traced a finger across his broad chest, finally resting her open palm above his heart. She never knew she'd find someone who was the perfect match to her imperfection. Three years ago, love was the last thing she was looking for. But love had found her, in a ruggedly handsome lieutenant who tried so hard to play it by the regs, especially since she was his commanding officer. She had struggled with that. She worried late into many nights wondering if she was just reading into things too much. His flirting always left a way out for them. Finally, she had decided she was going to have to be the one to step up and make her intentions known with no way out. And, was she glad that she had. Now, everything, the entire galaxy's future, rested on her shoulders, but he was there, willing to help shoulder the burden.

Gradually, Kaidan's breathing changed and he leaned down kissing the top of Shepard's head. She tilted her head so that she could look up at him. He blinked down at her for a few seconds as he woke up fully.

"Oh, good you're awake." his deep voice rumbled in his chest.

"Have been for about ten minutes." she replied impishly as she sat up, crossing her legs in front of her. She studied him as he scrubbed a hand across his face. His hair was a mess, bits and pieces sticking out at odd angles. She was mostly at fault for that. She loved to run her fingers through his thick hair, enjoying the tactile sensation. As she sat there, reminiscing about that night's activities, Kaidan began rifling through the pile of clothing that sat next to the bed.

"Kaidan? Are you leaving already?" She asked as she crawled across the bed to him. Kissing up across his back, she slipped her arms around him and pressed her check into the middle of his back. "Please don't." She tried not to let the sadness seep into her voice but a small sniff slipped out.

"No, love, I'm not leaving. Just looking for something." Finally finding his pants he began to search through the pockets. Eventually, he found what he was looking for. "Ok, I want you to close your eyes."

"Ok, my eyes are closed." She complied, but held on tightly to him.

A low chuckled emanated from his throat as he tried to turn around and was held in place by her tight grip. "You've got to let go of me, or I can't turn around."

Smiling, Shepard loosened her grip. She could feel Kaidan get out of the bed. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What are you doing Kaidan?"

"This wasn't what I had in mind as the way I was going to do this but I can't wait until later," he answered.

She could hear the regret in his voice. Panic flooded through her veins. What was he talking about? Her mind instantly bringing up the worst possible situation. Her heart picked up tempo and beat violently against her chest. Swallowing down the fear, she asked. "Can I open my eyes now?"

She could hear the smile in his voice as he answered, "Patience." She could hear him fumbling with something. He quietly cursed as she heard something metallic land on the floor.

What was he doing? She wanted to sneak a peek so badly but knew that if he caught her, she would be in a lot of trouble. He continued to fumble around and finally grabbed her hand after what felt like an eternity. His hand was shaking softly, as if he was nervous.

"Ok, you can open your eyes." His voice was unsteady and now she was sure he was nervous.

Cautiously, she cracked one eye open. And then she saw Kaidan, in his boxers, down on one knee next to the bed.

Her heart careened into overdrive. A small gasp was all that she could utter.

"Shepard, you are an amazing woman. I never thought that I'd find someone like you. You are strong, independent and incredibly smart. I never thought I'd get a second chance with you. But I did, and even amid all the chaos, somehow there was time for just us. But there is not enough time to do everything I wish we had the time to do. I wish there was time to take you home to meet my mom and see English Bay. I wish there was time that I could meet your parents. I wish there was more time so that we could plan a future together. But you and I both know that we don't have time. So I don't want to waste that time that we do have. If I had the time, this would all be different. We would be somewhere nice and it wouldn't be the middle of the night. But the timing and location is not what's important. What's important is that I love you. And no matter what is coming up, I have to ask you something." With that he slipped a small silver band into her palm. "I know there's no time for a ceremony or anything." He took a deep breath as she looked him in the eyes. "Moira Shepard, would you marry me?"

She could feel the hot burn of tears behind her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had never hoped for this. She knew the likelihood that she wouldn't survive this war wasn't great. But Kaidan was right, the time wasn't the important thing. She fingered the silver band that he had placed into her palm. On the inside of the band was inscribed, "_I will always be with you._ _K_" She choked on a sob, the tears overflowing her eyes and down onto her cheeks. He gently wiped them away with his thumb as he looked into her eyes. He still looked nervous. For a second she was confused and then she realized that while she had said yes a million times in her heart, she still hadn't told him.

"Kaidan, you are the man I never let myself hope for. You are my strength when I am weak. I can't imagine a future without you beside me. So to answer your question, yes I will marry you." She could feel even more tears flowing down her face as she told him.

The light that sparkled behind his eyes when she said yes was one of the best things she could ever hope for. With shaking fingers, Kaidan took the ring from her palm and slipped it on to her finger. Once it was in place he placed a kiss on top of it, as if sealing it.

"I pledge my love and life to you, that our lives might be twined together in such a way that no one could see where you end and I begin. You have my heart and soul. Where you go, I go also." In a low slow voice, Kaidan spoke the vows that he must have practiced many times. "Nothing in this universe could stop me from loving you and only death will keep me from your side." His voice cracked slightly at the last words, tears sparkling in his eyelashes.

Shepard leaned over and kissed his eyelids tenderly, the salty moisture coating her lips. She placed her forehead against his and looked down at his hands, another band sitting in his open palm. She smiled slightly, he thought of everything. Carefully, she mimicked his motions placing the ring on his finger and sealing it with a kiss.

"I pledge my heart and soul to you." She spoke slowly, searching for the right words. "My future is with you, no matter the length. I entrust you with my heart and dreams. There is nowhere I want to go that is not where you are. I will love you eternally and only death will pull me from your side." Kissing him softly, she pulled him back on the bed. She had never been happier. Even if all this ended tomorrow, she had loved and was loved in return.


End file.
